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Suppose you are about to submit a query and sample chapters to an agent. A pop-up window appears requiring you to agree to a bunch of legalese including the following:
I will not assert against Agent any claim based upon … Read the rest

Today, at 5 PM Eastern Time (2 PM Pacific), I’ll be giving a presentation called Protecting Your Rights and Your Wallet. I’ll discuss copyrights and how to protect them from ‘theft by contract.’ My goal is help writers spot overreaching… Read the rest

Sooner or later, you may need an attorney.
Perhaps your publishing business is expanding to the point where you are considering incorporating and bringing in investors. Maybe your collaboration agreement needs a legal touch. Or, the worst has happened and… Read the rest

I see this all too often.
A writer wants to self-publish without being a publisher.
She hands off her manuscript to a company like AuthorHouse, IUniverse or WestBow Press without doing any homework. She doesn’t even research the company’s… Read the rest

The following is an update of a post I wrote for Joel Friedlander’s ever-helpful blog at TheBookDesigner.com.On the path to self-publishing, your first decision will be whether to:
Engage a self-publishing service company (SPSC) to do everything from… Read the rest

UPDATE, OCTOBER 18, 2015: Today, I checked the websites for IUniverse and AuthorHouse to see whether they had made any changes to their form of publishing agreement. Yes, they have. While their old form gave them the right to continue … Read the rest

Today, I am running a guest post by Jody Rein, a book publishing consultant, literary agent and former executive editor with Big 10, Big 6, Big 5 publishers in New York. She shares some helpful advice on understanding and negotiating … Read the rest

Even though words are our stock-and-trade, many writers are intimidated by contract wording. The pages look fuzzy and convoluted, like some math-test nightmare from high school. Writers assume they won’t understand the contracts, so they close their eyes and click… Read the rest

Photo by Neuroventilator on Flickr
What is the worst mistake a self-publishing author could make?
A bad book cover? No.
A poorly edited manuscript? No.
A hokey website? No.
It’s losing his or her copyright.
Your copyrighted work is valuable… Read the rest

Writing and publishing a book is an investment of time, money and emotion. Don’t lose your copyright by signing the wrong contract, or waste money by buying into a scam, or lose sleep by getting sued for defamation. Self-Publisher’s Legal Handbook will help you safely navigate the legal minefield.